


Crawling Madness

by SerenePhenix



Category: Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Angst, Gen, Horror, Madness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:44:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenePhenix/pseuds/SerenePhenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there really were three goddesses watching over the sacred land of Hyrule, they had to be rather cruel to make a child go through the darkest and deadliest place in the whole kingdom: The bottom of the well in Kakariko.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crawling Madness

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very first LoZ fanfiction that I think is good enough to be uploaded. I remember the times as a child when my older brother would play OoT how scared I was whenever he entered the Forest Temple, the Temple of Darkness etc. The bottom of the well was so terrifying I rarely managed to stay inside the room. To me OoT has by far the most cruelest story as to what the hero Link goes through because unlike in any other game he is not even an adolescent when he has to face all these horrors.
> 
> And I thought that maybe, if I was already this scared as a kid when just watching then it must have been a thousand times worse for Link....

Crawling madness  
  
  
The dark and dank surroundings were nothing he could not stand by no means. Not after having faced countless enemies like Ganondorf's mannequin inside the dark Forest Temple where even the foliage seemed to be filled with malevolent intent or after facing the crushing depths of the Water Temple where no sunlight reached and where it had been at least just as cold and wet as in this well.  
  
Still, the place instilled an unusual deep-rooted fear inside Link as he made his way through this underground maze, where his every step counted, where at any moments notice he could be tumbling down towards a horde of Re-deads that just seemed to hope for his fall, screaming and making gurgling sounds as though they were choking on their own spit. Their sight still disturbed him even after he had encountered them many times already on his journey to save all of Hyrule.  
  
It was the very reason why he was sitting in the corner of the room with the ledge that helped him reach the higher level again after having fallen victim to another invisible trap hole. Only this time he had not been able to avoid the walking rotten remains of those who'd once lived in the village Kakariko, instead he had fallen between a small group of them.  
  
The hero in form of a young boy shivered violently as he remembered how their rattled breath, reeking of the sweet foulness that was decay, hit his face, how they crowded around him, taking up the space he needed so desperately to swing his Kokiri sword. The dark bruises on his arms and legs were testimony to how strongly they had held onto him with their bony and slimy fingers as they dragged him towards the acidic green pond which stank unlike anything Link had ever come across during his travels. Even Volvagias lair, deep inside the volcano that is Death Mountain where sulphur gave of the vile smell of rotten eggs, could not compete with this.  
  
A lonely tear found its way down one of the hero's cheeks but he was too shaken to notice it and try to wipe it away. The bite on his shield arm stung as it bled steadily but in no life-threatening amounts. He shook even more violently as he could hear the tell-tale flapping of bat wings and the groan coming from the flying skull that kept its burning eyes out for him, ready to inflict harm should he even so much as see a tuft of blond hair or a scrap of green from his tunic. He stifled a cry with both his hands as he felt its presence through the illusion that was the wall to his left.   
  
But the monster went on, the torch light on the wall flickering just the tiniest bit as it passed.   
  
Tears welled up his eyes as he sat in this nightmarish place. He tried to suppress the first sob which worked but not with the second or the third or the other ones following afterwards. He was so angry with himself. He had been so careless he got himself hurt, down here, where no one could help him. He hiccuped silently but his body simply refused to listen to him ever since he had had that unlucky near-death experience with the acid.  
The only thing he managed to do was press both his hands on his ears as the moaning of the Re-deads in the caves would not stop.  He rocked back and forth on his own accord, like a mother would do it with their child when it had a bad dream and needed soothing.   
But instead of soothing him, it made him despair even more. He was just a child! What in Hyrules name had he done to have to go through all of these scary things?   
  
He knew that the only answer to that would be that he was the chosen hero but that was not in the least helpful. Why was it him? Why not some adult? Why did  he have to go through this journey when he himself knew he was never even ready for half the things he had to face?  
The tears splashed down on the dark stone beneath his feet, adding to the cacophony of dripping noise that was already audible inside this abandoned dungeon.   
  
"Link.."  
  
His head snapped up at the feeble sound and instantly his eyes fell onto his friend Navi, the blue fairy. Her usually bright light was dimmed by the sheer darkness and evil permeating the air around them. Until now she had had to hide inside his hat as to not get poisoned by the atmosphere down here. Worry gnawed on Link's insides as the fairy flapped her wings feebly and sat down on one of his scraped knees. It was strange how he had managed to hear her even though he had tried so hard to drown out all sound.  
  
A tiny hand patted his knee gently in understanding as he gulped, unable to form a coherent sentence. His vocal cords refused to work properly after he had screamed bloody murder when the Re-deads had tried to make him one of their kind.  
  
Understanding his distress she flew up to the crook of his neck and leaned into it, wanting to bring him comfort in any way possible. She wanted him to get out of here as quickly as possible. The wound on his arm was worrying her, even more so since it did not seem to close up like all wounds should. Instead it continued to bleed.  
  
"I think I know now where to look for the lens.", she whispered, making the boy start. His blue eyes widened, expression so hopeful in such a dreary place. It hurt her to see him this way because it was not the innocent hope of a child but some sort of crazed determination inside his eyes. Like with people who were desperate enough to kill to get to the end of something. It looked grotesque and terrifying on such a young face.  
"Then, let's go.", he exclaimed getting to his feet so quickly he was overtaken by a short dizzied spell. With a shake of his head he willed it away and drew his sword and readied his shield.  
  
Navi felt her heart break as the expression did not leave his face even after they defeated that hideous creature, a monster not unlike a Re-dead, that was guarding the Lens of Truth they had been searching for.  
  
Only once that they reached the stairs, only once after Link made it up them and climbed out of the well, did his features soften as he drank in the sunlight he had not seen in days.  
  
All the while his little guide and friend floated beside him, worried that if this journey was to continue the way it did, there was no guarantee that this child's mind would remain intact.  
  
And to her that possibility was far more scarier than any monster they had encountered in any of the dark dungeons and temples they had had to pass through up until now.


End file.
